The Quail Runner Hudson, Massachusettsquailrunhudson.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/qr20121112.pdf · 12/11/2012 · Quail Run Real Estate News by Hugo Guidotti Well, the election

November — December 2012 The Quail Runner Hudson, Massachusetts

The Quail Runner For and By the Residents

Of Quail Run

November — December 2012 Began Publishing 2003 Hudson, Massachusetts www.QuailRunHudson.com

Contents Area Highlights— 9 Astrology— 7 Birthdays— 7 BOG—1, 10 Book Club - 7 Building & Grounds—8 Communications—10 Concerts–7 Condo Care—6 Curtain Call—4 Curtain Call Prod. –4 Day Break—9 Directory/Email– 4 Editor’s Desk— 2 Flu or Cold—8 Food Pantry—8 Game Nite—6 Handicap Placard– 10 Hawaii—10 Healthy Living—3 Juliets— 11 Knit—6 Oxygen –8 Real Estate—4 Romeo— 3 Quail Runner Staff— 2 $enior Money $ense—5 Sidewalk—1,11 Social Committee— 1 Technology Corner— 12 Thank You—9 Tradespeople—6 Transitions—3 Vacation Delivery—2 Weight & Nutrition—5 Welcome—2

Board Of Governors (BOG) News

Save The Date

Holiday Party Saturday, 21 December 7PM

$5.00 Appetizers - Holiday Desserts

BYOB Coffee/Tea

Door Prizes Sign Up Deadline is December 18

More information coming via e-mail

This is the first time in many years that the Board is not dreading the approach of winter for Quail Run. We have been troubled by rotting wood together with ice dams and the resulting interior stain-ing in previous years. Now the wood has been replaced with vinyl, the roofs are snug over our heads, the siding has been fastened, caulked, and painted, and the trim has been painted. The cracks in the roadway have been sealed. We are going back to the snow removal company that was used many years ago, and they will be using a snowblower in addition to plowing the drives. By using a snow-blower, the snow can be deposited over a broader area, minimizing the possible need to have to use trucks to relocate it if it gets too high and that should keep our final charges down.

Many of you were at the recent Budget Meeting and were very happy to hear that our condo fees will not be going up in spite of inflation. Actually, we will have enough money by the spring to restart some long delayed projects such as re-placing some of the dead and dying trees in front of our homes. The tree replace-ment may have to be spread out over a few years so that we do not have to raise fees to cover the cost. We are also pro-posing to paint all the decks.

Some people have already met the faces behind the voices that you are talking to on the phone who work for our new man-agement company: Dartmouth Manage-ment. (Continued page 10)

Sidewalk Update

Approximately 27 residents showed up to hear a presentation by Selectman Fred Lucy on the possibility of extending the existing sidewalks to Stop and Shop plaza. An additional 20 residents had replied positively by email to Rich Ebens’ solicita-tion of interest.

Rich Ebens began the meeting by giving the history of the efforts about 5 years ago to have the sidewalk extended. The effort was not successful because there was little chance of raising the money requested by the town.

He then introduced Mr. Lucy, commenting that they had known each other many years. Mr. Lucy then explained that he has

(Continued on page 11)

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The Quail Runner Staff Editor: MJ (Mary Jean) Ebens Assistant Editor: Terri Kilshaw Advertising Manager: Ruth Fay Proof Reader: Bob Freedman

Reporters: 1/3 Autumn Peggy Kunz 4/9 Autumn Marilyn Hoffman 5/7 Autumn Terri Kilshaw 6/11 Autumn Mary Lewis 1/3 Strawberry Sally Mauro 2/4 Strawberry Barbara Champine 5 Strawberry Lee Rouse 6/8 Strawberry Toby Allen 7/12 Strawberry Barbara Paradiso 1/4 Rotherham Kevin Fitzgerald 6 Rotherham Harry Morgan

Columnists: Technology Corner—George Champine What’s Up — Beverly Beyloune, Area News—Barbara Champine Healthy Living—Peggy Rittenhouse QR Real Estate News—Hugo Guidotti $enior Money $ense—Howie Pearlman

Communications: Phone, email address list: Barbara Picarello.

Website: QuailRunHudson.com

Published first week of Febru-ary, April, June, August, October, December

Deadline on the 23rd of previous month.

Copies of the Quail Runner can be emailed to a friend, relative, or yourself. Contact the editor if interested

Back issues of the Quail Runner are available at the Community Center or from the editor.

Editor’s Desk MJ Ebens, editor

Well, this has been a good month for Quail Run with lots of positive things happening.

Perhaps the best was our recent Board of Governors open meeting. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief to find there would be no Special Assessment and our finances are in very good shape. Meeting and seeing the folks from Dartmouth was a plus. Particularly seeing Judi Foley who is the “voice on the phone” if we call or email.

Rich Ebens hosted an interesting meeting to those concerned about extending our “sidewalk to nowhere”. The cost is certainly minimum to Quail Run — the price of a sandwich at Brads — and maybe even less if we can persuade Stop and Shop to add to the kitty. It was disappointing to find that the sidewalk will not be totally on “our” side of the road, but having the way paved to Intel and West Ridge is a plus for those who like to take those routes.

We have two interesting and helpful articles on Care Givers. One in Peggy Rittenhouse’s column (page 3)and the other on a special offering from the Senior Center (page 9). Those of us who have been in this situation know how desperately Care Givers need help. I remember flying home exhausted after caring for my mother and getting stopped by airline security because I had explosive dust on my hands from handling her medications. I decided that if they didn’t let me board I was just going to lie down on the floor right there! Fortunately I didn’t have to do that.

Happy Holidays to all.

MJMJMJMJ

Vacation Delivery To Receive Quail Runner while away, give your reporter or the editor an extra long envelope with two first class stamps and your vacation address. The editor has some free extra large envelopes. Or you can get issues emailed to you, or view the current issue on QuailRun Hudson.com.

Welcome New Residents Pat & John Smith, 1G Rotherham Way, 978-212-5022 e-mail [email protected]

Be sure to let Barbara Morgan, 978-568-1929, [email protected], know if you have new neighbors. She’s our “Welcome to the Neighborhood” representative.

Barbara Edelstein is filling in temporarily for Barbara Morgan.

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HEALTHY LIVING by Peggy Rittenhouse

When You Are The Caregiver

According to Family Caregiver Alliance, approximately 44 million American families and friends provide unpaid care to another adult, sometimes around the clock. This care is most often given by a wife, sister or daughter, but husbands, sons and brothers are sometimes the caregivers. Family members provide approximately 80% of the long-term care in the United States. But study after study indicates that caregiving compromises health and becoming clinically depressed is common. What does taking care of yourself mean, why is it so hard to do, and how do you do it?

My husband and I experienced full-time caregiving this last year when we were the primary caregivers for my husband’s elderly brother following the death of his wife. We actually moved into his big house so we could take care of him.

The following is a list of things to consider when you are the caregiver:

Support: We were lucky in that we had two people to help care for his brother so one of us could be away while the other was on duty. Support could be as simple as friends saying they were praying for us; saying “yes” when someone offers to help; taking walks or reading a book. One younger couple, Kris and Cherie, would call up and say “We’re coming and we’re bringing dinner”. This was so very special to us.

Guilt: I think everyone loses patience occasionally and experiencing some guilt is probably normal. It is hard to be patient when the one being cared for is so slow. That’s why breaks from caregiving are so important.

Seeking Help: The often heard question, “Is there anything you need?’ has but one answer: Yes. “Yes, I need someone to stay here so I can go out. I need some time by myself. I need some groceries.” It’s ok to answer “Yes”. Reluctance in asking for and accepting help is a major barrier to getting necessary respite and support. Maybe a family meeting would be helpful in eliciting some much needed help. (continued on page 6)

ROMEO’s

Retired Old Men Eating Out (and having fun!)

December 11, Tuesday, at 12:30 pm. Dino’s Restaurant in Marlboro Choose from the menu; separate checks.

Contact Frank Monte – 978-562-0823 – [email protected].

It is important that you give notice that you plan to attend so there won’t be a last minute rush to provide enough seating.

Hugo Guidotti is chairing the group. Contact Hugo, 978-562-6501, for more information on the group.

Transitions

Condolences to Betty Chiasson on the death of her brother, Anthony DeProfio, who passed away the first week of Oct.

Condolences to Sharon Berthiaume on the death of her brother on November 6.

Welcome home to Spec. Justin Dennis, US Army, son of Bud Dennis of 1 C Rotherham recently returned from his 2nd. tour of duty in Afghanistan. Thanks for your service.

Condolences to Barbara Baker on the death of her loving companion of 14 years, Kent Callahan, 4-D Autumn. He was 81 and died at his home on Nov. 1. He was formerly from Marlborough, born in Brockton and was a U.S. Army veteran of the Korean War. He retired from Digital Equipment Corp. after many years as a Lab technician. He was a member of the Trinity Church of Northborough and sang bass in the choir. He was active in the Stow Choir, served at Our Fathers Table, volunteered at the Marlborough Hospital and participated in Community Theater.

Kent will be remembered for his dry wit, his knowledge of just about anything and his deep love of music.

Memorial donations may be made to either the Trinity Church Scholarship Fund, 123 Main St., Northborough, MA 01532 or to Our Father's Table, P.O. Box 916, Marlborough, MA 01752.

To include an announcement, contact your reporter or the editor

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08/13

Quail Run Real Estate News by Hugo Guidotti

Well, the election is over and the only change we have seen is a negative reaction from the stock market which is kind of expected. Interest rates, mortgage availabil-ity, and inventory remain stable but home prices are inching upward. My personal feeling is that the election process seriously depressed a comeback by the housing industry. The year long hammering of Americans with all sorts of negative stuff has seriously limited motiva-tion to buy even though there are more good reasons for purchasing real estate then ever before. I like to ask this question, “Five years from now how many people are going to be saying "I should have bought in 2012"

The QR picture has changed only slightly in the past 2 months. Mildred Chomko's home at 3B Rotherham sold for $240,000 and new owners have moved in. The Sullivan home at 6E Autumn is under agreement and should be closing soon. 6C Strawberry listed at $229,900 is under agreement and since it is a short sale it may be a while before it closes. 6C and 3B could both be considered "distress sales" but may have a seri-ously negative affect on QR values. That leaves only George and Elaine McGoldrick's home listed at $275,500 on the market at the present time. George saw his last BC football game yesterday as they left for Florida Monday 11/19/12 at 6:30 AM. Good Luck George and Elaine!

Curtain Call Toby Allen The group is taking a hiatus over Dec- ember and will meet again in January.

In the meantime something new:

Curtain Call Productions

Got Talent?

We’re planning a Variety Show for May 4 and we’d like to add you to the program!

Do you play a musical instrument; have a skit, a tall tale to tell or other type of performance? Contact either Toby Allen or MJ Ebens. We already have a dance routine lined up as well as a short, one act play, mind reader and other. We’re looking for routines of 3 – 10 minute. Don’t be shy, we’ll give you lots of help and support.

CONDOMINIUM LISTINGS AND SALES AT QR

ADDRESS DOM- LIST PRICE STATUS SALE

PRICE

6CStrawberry 65 $229,900 UAG

3B Rotherham 190 $240,000 Sold $240,000

9C Autumn 32 $275,500 Active

8B Strawberry 200 $279,900 Sold $275,000-

5E Autumn 70 $297,900 Sold $295,000

6F Strawberry 64 $309,900 Sold $300,000

7C Autumn 56 $309300 Sold $300,000

6C Rotherham 73 $309,900 Sold $300,000

12D Strawberry 401 $309,900 Sold $302,000

7A Strawberry 65 $312,000 Sold $306,000

DOM—Days on Market; UAG Under Agreement

Directory / Email Updates

Terry and Donna Milot [email protected]

Lee Rouse [email protected]

Marlynn & Peter Stott [email protected]

You’ve Got Mail

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07/13

$enior Money $ense by Howie Pearlman

Stop Seniors Scams Now!

As part of its 10th Annual Home for the Holidays campaign, the Eldercare Locator, a public service of the U.S. Administration on Aging that is administered by the National Association of Area Agencies on Ag-ing (n4a), is encouraging older adults, caregivers and their families to use their time together this holiday season to discuss and get informed about strategies to prevent financial exploitation.

Financial exploitation of older adults can take many forms and can come in many guises including tele-marketing scams, identity theft, fake check scams, home repair fraud, and even “sweetheart scams” whereby a con artist befriends or romances an isolated lonely older adult to gain control over their finances.

“Unfortunately, financial exploitation can often be committed by a person you know and trust—a friend, caregiver or even a family member, which makes it even more difficult," said Sandy Markwood, CEO, n4a. "We are seeing more and more financial abuse across the country."

There are several signs of financial exploitation for families to look out for, including financial activity that is inconsistent with an older adult’s past financial history; multiple withdrawals within a short time pe-riod; inconsistent signatures on documents; confusion about recent financial arrangements; new names add-ed to accounts or other changes to key documents that have not been authorized; a caregiver or beneficiary who refuses to use designated funds for necessary care and treatment of an older adult, and an older adult who feels uncomfortable or even threatened by a care-giver or another individual who is seeking to control their finances.

Here are some guidelines to help protect you and/or your loved one:

· Consult with a trusted person before making any large purchases or invest-ments.

· Do not provide personal information (i.e. Social Security number, credit card, ATM PIN number)

Weight & Nutrition Support Group

The Group meets Wednesdays, at the Community Center, 9:30 am — 10:30

No dues or fees. The group supports and help one another by exchanging ideas, recipes, and strategies.

Open to all ladies here at Quail Run. Contact Marlynn Stott or Marcella Monte – 978-562-0823 [email protected])

“Would you like Death by Chocolate, Death by Cheesecake, Death by Brownie, or Death by Jello?”

Seniors Scams (Continued from left)

over the phone unless you placed the call and know with whom you are speaking.

· If you hire someone to help you in your home, ensure that they have been properly screened with criminal background checks completed. Ask for certifications when appropriate.

· Talk with an attorney about creating a durable power of attorney for asset management; a living will; a revo-cable, or living, trust; and health care advance directives. Caregiver.com 11/22/2012

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Stitch & Knit Stitch & Knit Stitch & Knit Stitch & Knit The group meets the second and fourth Tuesdays at 7:00 each month at members homes. All knitters (or other types of handwork) are welcome.

For more information Barbara Baker, 978-562-2460.

This is a good time to empty the built-in vacuum. It probably needs it once or twice a year. Now is also a good time to clean the outside dryer vent. George Shaw has offered to help if you can’t reach it.

Extreme Cold Reminders

Here are some things you might want to do and/or check: • All outside faucets turned off • Thermostat temperature not lower that 60º • All windows and sliders closed tightly and locked • For “A” units, run the fireplace occasionally to warm the outside wall behind the fireplace that also contains a pipe for the sprinkler system. Note that the fireplace will operate even in a power outage. In case of area wide loss of power and you need help, contact the Emergency Operation Center, 978-562-3434

Emergency Shelter Information on page 3 of the Quail Run Directory.

Game Night Changes

Game Night is suspended during December and in January will move to the first and third Tuesday afternoons from 3—5:00 PM at the Community Center. Come and enjoy fun with your neighbors playing any of a variety of games, such as Dominoes, Rummikube, Mah Jong, or your choice.

If your last name begins with A-F bring a refresh-ment to share on the first Tuesday, otherwise it’s your turn on the third Tuesday.

Coffee and Tea will be served. We're looking for some new faces!

Trades People Recommended

Handy man Doug McGill 508-954-7020. 30 years self employed, works part time for Loews. Insured, reason-able ,honest and stands behind his work. He installed a new food waste disposal and found the problem with our gas fireplace. We were very satisfied with his work. Connie Nefzger

Gas Fireplace maintenance and repair – Matthew McDonald, 774-245-2414, MassachusettsGasFireplace Repair.com, Upton, MA Recommended by the Ebens and others

The Caregiver (continued from page 3) One of the stressors of caregiving is seeing no end to the situation. Having a life and connections outside of care-giving helps you to maintain perspective, so that care-giving doesn’t become one’s only reality.

Your Body: Not getting enough sleep is a major cause of illness and stress in caregivers. Exhaustion is one of the main complaints, leading to irritability and then in-appropriate anger which then leads to more guilt. Exer-cise is important to get as it gives you a break, combats depression and helps you maintain health. Talking with your physician about your health needs is important.

Education: Learn as much as you can about the illness so that you can understand what is happening. If possi-

ble, join a support group for emotional support as well as to learn caregiving tricks to make it easier to care for your pa-tient.

Helpful websites: aarp.org/caregiving; elder-care.gov; alzheimers.gov; care-giver.org

Winter Garage Wanted

The Bradbards, 978-562-7249, and the Montes , 978-562-0823, are looking for winter garages for their sec-ond vehicles. They would each be happy to pay $1.00 per day for the privilege of using an empty garage over the winter or even part of the season.

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Astrology — What’s Up By Beverly Beyloune

CAPRICORN Dec 22 – Jan 19 Giving Venus (planet of love) a run for her money...Mars (planet of action) in the right place lights up your love zone. If you are single you will find love and couples will rekindle their passion. At home you’ll adapt to a few changes as family responsibilities ease and tensions that have been in the air for the past 2 years all but disappear. Planets

also reverse your so-so luck as fortunes brighten the end of this year. Your luck is strong...you seem to have the golden touch in contests and investments. You will probably make a great new friend or adopt one, as you pay a fruitful visit to the animal shelter!

AQUARIUS Jan 20 – Feb 18 Now is the time to buy a lottery ticket or enter a con-test….this year it seems as if your lucky stars are put-ting on a light show just for you. With money matters stronger than they’ve been in a long time, the stars urge you to take advantage of your foresight and make long term investments. Expect a child or young person to receive an honor or an-nounce plans that will make you prouder than you ever thought you could be. Ro-mance is sweet as the year ends...singles will fall for someone intriguing, while couples will beam with renewed love!

To include a birthday, contact your reporter or the editor

Book Club

Meetings are at the Community Center on Wednesdays, from 7 to 9 PM; generally the last Wednesday of each month.

Contact Marcella Monte for more information; 978-562-0823 or [email protected]

Quail Run Birthdays December Jane Freedman, 2 Richard Ebens, 6 Theresa Bosio, 19 Renee Kossuth, 21 Ken Spears, 29 Marilyn Hoffman, 29 George McGoldrick, 31

January Lois Boemer, 2 Nina Schlikin, 6 Barbara Langley, 10 Helen Marckini, 13 Barbara Kansky, 17 Peggy Rittenhouse, 20 Terry Milot, 20 Shirley O’Connell, 27 Deborah McCormack, 30 Karen Hart, 31

1/13

Arts Alliance Annual Holiday Concert with the Riv-ers Edge Community Band, Rivers Edge Chorale, and the Rivers Edge Youth Chorus will be Saturday Dec 15 at 3:30 PM at Hudson HS, 69 Brigham St. Featuring musicians and singers from over 30 different commu-nities who come together to delight audiences with musical holiday cheer. Tickets are $11 for Seniors and students. Snow date Sunday Dec.16.

Assabet Valley Mastersingers, on Sunday December 16 will hold its annual Messiah sing at the Congregational church in Westbor-ough at 3:30 PM Attendees are encour-aged to bring their own score and join in this festive event. Suggested dona-tion $10. Marge Carpenter and Paul Anderson are part of this group.

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3/13

HUDSON FOOD PANTRY

Occasionally, the Social Committee asks you to bring a donation for the Food Pantry, if you want, when you are attending a function at the Clubhouse. This is such a good cause, and there are many people in the Hudson area who are in need. Can you imagine not knowing where your next meal will come from? For many, this is a daily concern.

There is a container at the Clubhouse, and anytime you would like to make a donation of food or personal item (shampoo, deodorant, etc.), please leave it in the container and we will be sure that it gets to the Pantry.

Safety Note If Oxygen is in use in your home – turn off the pilot light/flame in your fireplace. Toby Allen found this out from a medical Social Worker inspecting a unit for the return home of a resident here. This is a fairly simple operation and the pilot light can easily be turned back on when needed.

Building & Grounds Committee Report 11/23/12

Paint Job-Inspect all newly painted areas and report de-fects or deficiencies to BOG to evaluate contractors work. The paint job is just about complete and we all think it is an absolutely GREAT improvement to our Campus. The B&G found a very few items that require a bit of final touch up and reported such to the BOG. • Report all dead, missing or broken trees for future

replacement. • Report on condition of newly planted arborvitae

near utility panels. • Report on broken or misused downspouts Owners should check Rules & Regulations to determine what plantings are allowed.

BOG reminds us there will be no roof raking allowed. Owners should report issues or concerns to [email protected] or tel. 781-533-7208. E-mail is the more effective route as you will then leave documentation of your communication and response.

Finally the B&G wants to commend the BOG for the numerous prop-erty improvements made in 2012. We think we have a beauti-ful campus here at QR. Thanks also go to all the owners who take such pride in their properties by con-stantly planting and upgrading their garden and common areas!

Hugo Guidotti, for all the members of the Building and Grounds

Is it Flu or a Cold?

Cold: Gradual onset; Sore or scratchy throat, then runny or stuffy nose, sneezing; finally a cough; fa-tigue; a low or no temperature; symptoms are mild to moderate; duration a week to 10 days, but cough can linger for weeks more.

Flu: Sudden; chills, dry cough, headache, muscles ache, stuffy nose, extreme tiredness, weakness; tem-perature of 100 or higher; more sever symptoms; last one to two weeks, but weakness and fatigue may last for weeks more. (taken from Consumers Report)

Great to see so many QRs helping at the flu clinics. They include Rosemary Fitzgerald, Theresa Bosio, both Bradbards, Harry Mor-gan, Terri Kilshaw, Vince Picarello, Janice Owen

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Area

Highlights By Barbara Champine

FORT DEVENS MUSEUM The little-known Fort Devens Museum grew from a desire to commemorate the history of New England’s largest military base after it closed in 1996. Fort Devens and its predecessor Camp Devens played an enormous role in the defense of the nation during the twentieth century as the induction and training center for more than 1,000,000 New Englanders, home to prisoner-of-war camps during both World Wars, the site of Dr. Robert Goddard’s early liquid-fuel rocket tests, and ground zero during the Great Influenza Epidemic of 1918. Devens was established in 1917 on 5,000 acres taken from Ayer, Harvard, Lancaster and Shirley.

More than ten years after its founding the museum has acquired a collection in excess of 3,000 artifacts, photographs, and documents related to the land, build-ings, soldiers, and families of Devens. The collection includes bazookas, spiked Prussian helmets from WWI and a captured Japanese battle flag. The col-lection of building plans, historic photographs, and documents have been used by a wide range of writers, academics, environmental firms, and television pro-ducers. The museum is in a leased office building, while waiting funding for a permanent home.

The museum is at 94 Jackson Road, 3rd floor, Suite 305, located one mile north of the Devens Jackson Gate (off Route 2 West), in a brick office building. There is a large “94 Jackson Road” on the street side of the building. At the large parking lot there are signs

on Jackson Road indicating museum parking. In that area is a sign at the entrance to the path that leads to the back door of the building, number 94. The elevator is right near the door.

Current hours are: Tuesdays and Fridays 10:00 am to 2:00 pm and the third Saturday of each month, 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. Admission free, donations welcome. For directions, call 978-772-1286 or

www.fortdevensmuseum.org/directions.php and click on the MapQuest link.

Day Break at the Hudson Senior Center

The Hudson Senior Center is partnering with Pleasantries Adult Day Services, AgingWell Adult Day Health, Marl-borough Hills Healthcare Center and Comfort Keeper Home Care Agency, to provide one afternoon a week of structured quality time for loved ones at the Hudson Sen-ior Center.

Professional staff will provide a healthy lunch and en-gaging activities for those who require supervision. Day-Break will offer attendee's: • A safe, secure environment. • Enjoyable and educational activities. • Socialization and peer support. • Nutritious meals and snacks.

DayBreak will offer Caregiver's: • Respite from care giving responsibilities. • An affordable option for assistance

Their professional staff will help your loved one transi-tion into this warm, caring and enjoyable program while offering the caregiver the peace of mind to enjoy some respite.

Please call Janice Long at 978-568-9638 for more de-tailed information.

A warm and friendly place for your loved one to spend an afternoon.

A break for you.

To the Residents of Quail Run “Thank You”

We send our sincere thanks to our Quail Run neigh-bors who sent us the Edible arrangement after we re-turned from Marion's sister Jacque's funeral in Smith-field, North Carolina. Thanks also for the cards and prayers. Marion & Paul Anderson

My sincere thanks to all of you who sent condolence cards and were present at Kent Callahan’s calling hours and funeral to offer your caring support. To the people who helped me set up the clubhouse, who took care of getting the luncheon ready on the morning of the funeral, to those who did a multitude of tasks for me, I can’t thank you enough. To all who have offered much needed hugs, lent me shoulders to cry on and dried my tears, I love you all. I couldn’t ask for a bet-ter community to live in. God bless you all! Barbara Baker

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3/113

Board Of Governors News (continued) This company was selected after the Board had met with representatives of the most promising companies, and finally picking one that seems to have the right bal-ance of competence and depth to manage a development as large as ours. Judi Foley is based in the office and is able to take care of many problems and referrals without even leaving her desk. Kathleen McDonald is the man-ager and will be the one doing almost all of the on-location visits. Their web site will complement ours, but will also give you the advantage of being able to send in comments or work requests for problems relating to the common areas, as well as manage your account from the comfort of your computer or smartphone.

At this season, the Board would like to thank you all for your suggestions, comments, and help over the past year, and would like to wish you all a generic Happy Holiday and a Happy New Year.

Communications Committee

The current committee is continuing for the next year. The group is: MJ Ebens, chair, editor Quail Runner; George Champlain, website; Pete Recklett, directory database, and Barbara Picarello, email.

Quail Run Address and Phone Directory

The committee has started work on the next Directory. An abbreviated version will be emailed in January. If you don’t have email, contact Pete Recklett for hard copy. Check your entry in the current directory. Send correc-tions or changes to Pete Recklett, precklett @ comcast.net

The new, hard copy Directory will come out in June. This will more closely match life at Quail Run concerning elections and new committees.

Mary and George Lewis, 6A Autumn, just came back from a 35th Anniversary celebration trip to Hawaii.

They visited three of the islands, Oahu, Maui and Kauai and enjoyed all three. Of the three, Kauai was the most enjoyable. On the way back they

stopped in San Francisco for three days, touring the beautiful wine country and the exciting city.

The weather was fantastic, making returning to Fall in New England that much harder.

Technology Corner (continued from page 12)

If your PC lacks built-in SMART monitoring (check your OEM specs), or if you'd rather not trust a hidden, built-in subsystem, you can use add-on software that lets you monitor your drive's SMART system — either on demand or all the time.

A few minutes with your favorite search engine will turn up dozens of drive-monitoring tools, both free and paid. To get you started, here are a few free examples: • HD Tune (free) is one of the easiest-to-use drive-

monitoring tools. Just install it and read the results.

• PassMark DiskCheckup (free for personal use; $15 per corporate license; site) takes a little configuring but offers exceptionally easy access to your drive's self-test routines. • The free, open-source smartmontools is com-mand-line driven. It will tell you everything a drive's SMART system knows, but in a somewhat cluttered, text-only format.

Handicap Parking Placard

According to AAA, it is illegal to drive with a placard hanging from the rearview mirror. It’s considered impeded operation and could result in a fine and an insurance surcharge.

Don’t let anyone borrow your placard; you could lose your privileges for 30 days. For the borrower it’s a $500 citation and loss of driving license for 30 days.

11


JULIETS NEWS

December 12, Wednesday, 12:30 at the Old Timer Restaurant, 155 Church Street, Clinton

Order from menu, ONE CHECK PER TABLE

Contacts: Ginny Fullam 978-562-2787; Lynn Fishman 978-562-1254; Jan Mudgett 978-562-0598

Directions to restaurant: Rte 62 out of Hudson (past BJ's) to Rte 70, turn right. Stay on Rte 62 into Clinton, right on School St, right on Church St.; restaurant on right. There are two entrances, one for bar one for restaurant

Jeannine Bensette and Barbara Langley are planning January at Assabet's Epicurean Room probably Thurs, the 17th for the buffet.

All Quail Run women are invited to Lunch

Sign up for either event at the Community Center.

2/13

Sidewalk Update (Continued from page 1)

served on the School Committee and Selectman.

Mr. Lucy showed a diagram of the proposed sidewalk and the possibilities of funding. He announced that a housing development is proposed for Cabot Road (be-hind the office buildings and opposite the Stop & Shop plaza). This builder is currently seeking permission from the state and will include a number of 40B (low income) units. The town is hoping the state will not ap-prove it but it probably will be approved as the town is below its percentage of low cost housing. The town feels that the 40B units will bring more children into town and our schools system is pretty much at capacity.

The town can make additional requirements on the builder, but can not stop the project once it has state ap-proval. One additional proposal would be for the builder to put in a sidewalk on the Cabot Road side of Technol-ogy Drive. (Quail Run would prefer the sidewalk on the Stop & Shop side, but for various reasons this is not likely.) The Quail Run / child care center end of the sidewalk would be extended to roughly the West Ridge entry. At that point a crosswalk would be installed to allow crossing to the other section of the walk. No one was happy with having to cross Technology Drive, but as it was mentioned that is the shady side of the street in the summer and there is a fairly good view of traffic.

The cost for this short section should cost no more than $12,000. At this point, the town would pick up 25% of the cost. Paul Blazer, Executive Administrator, con-tacted both Intel and West Ridge and they agreed to each provide 25% of the total.

This leaves the last 25% to come from Quail Run. Mr. Lucy stated that the $3,000 is the maximum cost and may come in slightly lower. He also stated that the town would spread the cost over three years which means the cost to us would be no more than $1,000 a year. If our 150 units are assessed $6.67 each, that would cover our share for each year.

Stop & Shop has not been approached. If they would contribute something to our 25% this would mean even less from Quail Run. A committee may be formed to join with Mr. Lucy to approach Stop & Shop.

There was a lot of discussion and many questions. Mr. Lucy had obviously done a lot of work to prepare for this meeting and his efforts were acknowledged by a round of applause.

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IN THE IN THE IN THE IN THE QUAIL RUNNER.QUAIL RUNNER.QUAIL RUNNER.QUAIL RUNNER.

12


Technology Corner

By George Champine

Better PC speakers, sans the annoying wires The speakers on my laptop produce sound that is OK for speech and other casual sound. If one wants better quality sound for listening to music, good quality speakers are available... However, most add-on speakers connect via USB or the headphone port which means more wires, which I dislike.

The best solution I know of is one of the dozens of Bluetooth-enabled, portable speakers, primarily designed for mobile devices such as tablets and smart phones. But they work equally well with laptop and desktop PCs, where they take up little of the precious space on cluttered desktops. Better yet, the market is flooded with Bluetooth-enabled speakers, which has driven prices down and quality generally up.

The new Braven 600 portable speakers are especially fine examples of what's available. Although they push only six watts, the two speakers and passive sub-woofers pump out surprising volume. Custom HD audio drivers enhance playback. The manufacturer claims that the Braven 600 offers room-filling sound.

These speakers look as good as they sound. Weighing just 12 ounces, the speakers are housed in a cherry-red or silver anodized-aluminum case that measures just six inches long. About $150 at Amazon. If your laptop does not have Bluetooth, add another $10 for an adapter.

Out-of-the-way video experiences on the Web Streaming sites such as Netflix and Hulu Plus have wonderfully large libraries of movies and television shows. But they don't have everything. If your cinematic tastes tend toward the old or the esoteric, if a classical concert sounds like a great way to spend the night at home, or if you want live coverage of just about anything, here are services that could be right up your alley.

Fandor is the streaming video site for serious cine-philes.. Here you can find classic silent westerns such as 1903's The Great Train Robbery and new-but-ob-scure (and well-reviewed) films such as Once Upon a Time in Anatolia. The site's thousands of titles include still-loved silent comedians and those long forgotten.

You'll also find unintentionally funny B westerns as well as documentaries such as Affluenza and From the Journals of Jean Seberg. You'll find Orson Welles's The Trial, Lina Wertmüller's Love and Anarchy, and two versions of Metropolis — the "complete" 2010 restor-ation and Giorgio Moroder's strange, rock-oriented 1984 reworking.

You're less likely to find well-known and easily acces-sible classics on Fandor — no Hitchcock, no Kurosawa (much of whose work you'll find on Hulu's Criterion channel). As you might expect, the quality of these films varies quite a bit. For many, good prints simply no longer exist. On the other hand, if your bandwidth and hardware support it, Fandor streams in HD. (I've com-pared these streams to Blu-rays of the same titles, and Blu-ray wins. But that's true with all streaming services.) Fandor costs $10 a month, which is a bit higher than either Netflix or Hulu Plus. However, half of that sub-scription goes to filmmakers and distributors, which helps promote independent films. You can sign up for a two-week free trial at: http://www.fandor.com/.

Do not ignore SMART drive warnings Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology (SMART) can help save your data from an impending hard-drive failure. But you need the right software to see and interpret the SMART warnings most hard drives provide.

Fortunately, there's free software to help. SMART is built into most drives currently in use. It keeps track of the number, frequency, and types of errors a drive experiences. When the SMART system sees errors approaching a level where error correction can no longer cope (or some other threshold set by the manufacturer), it sends an alarm to any software that's listening.

Take SMART warnings seriously — the system rarely produces false alarms. That's because SMART tracks the cumulative number of errors over time.

So when you see a warning along the lines of SMART Status BAD. Backup and Replace, you're on borrowed time. You should immediately stop whatever you're doing and make a full backup of everything on the drive. Replace the drive with a new one, and restore your backups. Don't try to salvage the bad drive — it's junk.

Although virtually all newer drives have SMART baked in, not all PCs automatically relay SMART messages to you. In all too many cases, a drive's SMART system may be sounding the alarm, but no software is listening. (Continued on page 10)

The Quail Runner Hudson, Massachusettsquailrunhudson.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/qr20121112.pdf · 12/11/2012 · Quail Run Real Estate News by Hugo Guidotti Well, the election

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